Preserve

Designs On— Global Warming

By Thomas Brisebras

Preserve is a product design concept with the goal of gradually educating users about personal habits related to energy consumption. It comes in the form of an attractive hourglass-inspired interface that sits on prominent display, for all to see. It’s a beautiful object that also plays the role of master controller over electricity usage at home. When the hourglass empties, the electricity that runs through the house turns off automatically. When the user voluntarily turns the hourglass into its horizontal docking position, he or she elects to turn the electricity off. When it sits vertically, energy is being consumed, until it reaches its daily maximum. At the end of each day, overturning the hourglass marks the beginning of a new cycle of energy expenditure.